In Lakeland, in Polk County, fiberglass insulation maker Fibertech is building its own $30 million plant, which will employ 400. The 250,000-sq.-ft. (23,225-sq.-m.) site formerly belonged to Owens-Brockway, which produced glass bottles for Anheuser-Busch on the 105-acre (43-hectare) site.
      The good news continues for the city of 88,000. On the heels of the opening of a Verizon contact center last year, Southern Wine & Spirits of America is building a distribution center in the metro. ButterKrust Bakery, based in Lakeland for 90 years, just began production in a new 40,000-sq.-ft. (3,716-sq.-m.) facility as the result of a $17-million expansion. And Rooms to Go is expanding its distribution center by 250,000 sq. ft. (23,225 sq. m.) for a total footprint of 1.75 million sq. ft. (162,575 sq. m.), and will add about 100 jobs.
      Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin received approval for the Qualified Target Industries state tax credit, which provides credits on corporate income tax, sales tax, ad valorem tax and other taxes, based on job creation and level of pay. Consequently, from 100 to 110 new positions will be created at the company's shared services center, which teams with two similar centers in Maryland and one in Pennsylvania to manage the company's HR, accounting, supply chain and regulatory needs. The entire shared services unit employs around 1,100 people for the Bethesda, Md.-based aerospace and defense contractor. The Lakeland facility will now be the largest in the organization's shared services network, with more than 430 employees.
      Finally, the city is welcoming a 665-acre (269-hectare), 5-million-sq.-ft. (464,500-sq.-m.) industrial and office park from Jacksonville-based Flagler Development — a name synonymous with the railroad and related economic development growth of Florida.